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Asymptomatic or Symptomatic?

© Elizabeth Batt

Some people with PBC are asymptomatic, meaning that they show no symptoms of the disease at all. Others however, can have a horrible time. What has been determined is that the "common" symptoms of PBC in no way dictate the severity of the disease. Doctors are still trying to determine why some sufferers present with these symptoms while others have none at all.

Having symptoms only shows one benefit (yes there is a small one) - that of diagnosis. PBC as mentioned in previous articles often goes overlooked. This might be truer if a person is asymptomatic as well. In a sufferer with symptoms, the root causes of these symptoms are often investigated because they cause the sufferer problems and in seeking a resolution, the medical world has more of a chance of discovering PBC. If a person has no symptoms however and feels well, no trip to the doctor and thus no diagnosis.

My father wasn't diagnosed until he was 70 years old. Why? Because he was asymptomatic. Even now despite being at Stage 4 of the disease, he remains without the common symptoms. I myself however being at stage 2-3 have suffered with the two most common symptoms of PBC, that of fatigue and itching for the past 2 years. It's hard to imagine finding a silver lining in any disease with symptoms that cause you problems, but because of my symptoms, I was able to recognize them and seek a diagnosis.

What is often tough for asymptomatic PBC sufferers is to accept and recognize that they now have an autoimmune liver disease. Not only do they have this disease, they have an illness that has few norms, many complications and more importantly - no cure. Couple that with the fact that they generally feel in good health and they have a mountain of acceptance to climb over before they can even begin to understand the complexities of PBC.

PBC sufferers with symptoms have a new path to tread - how to keep living as normally as possible without these symptoms lowering their quality of life. It's a toughie when coupled with the adage - "time stands still for no man." When your nights are spent itching and scratching and with the disease already forcing fatigue upon you on top of the sleepless nights, the PBC mantle can become a much heavier burden. For PBC sufferers that work or have a home and kids to run, life is often turned upside down.

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